As Mrs Clarke has 3 Children who play football more than any other sport, Mrs Clarke wanted to surprise her Children by arranging a new football surface.
Ken Smith from Playrite arranged to meet Mrs Clarke and survey the existing court. Ken advised that the existing tarmac court could be recovered and suggested Playrite Matchpad shockpad and Tournament MF with white lines for football.
With the family due to attend the World Rugby Finals in Japan, we had to work to a very short timeline and Ken invited Envirolawn to quote for the work.
In order to proceed quickly followed and the new surface was delivered and installed within 2 weeks to the delight of Mrs Clarke’s family.
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A few weeks later, Ken Smith visited the club to meet with Kathy and colleagues to discuss their plans and then identified the most suitable Playrite product for their Multi-Use Games Area.
Playrite Matchplay 2 is a versatile synthetic sports surface manufactured from Polypropylene by Needlepunch method of construction. Kathy decided that Matchplay 2 was the ideal product with the addition of matchpad shockpad.
Kathy was delighted with the support from Playrite and particularly impressed that we made the effort to visit the club in the 1st instance to survey the existing court and then advise and present optional surfaces available from Playrite.
Ken then invited Synthetic Turf Management (STM) to provide the quotation for the work. Jon Bell, Director at STM visited the club to survey & quote.
The work was instructed in December 2018 and carried out during February 2019. Once fitted, STM applied the recommended sand dressing level of just 5 to 8kg pm2.
The images clearly show the visual impact of Playrite Matchplay 2 which has definitely enhanced the Sports Club with a safe, bright and functional surface.
A site visit was arranged with Steve Byrnes national sales manager for Playrite, discussions regarding the requirements of Eaton Bray tennis club.
Matchplay 2 was the most suitable surface, having local clubs with Matchplay 2, enabled Glenn and the other members of the club to have confidence in
selecting Matchplay 2, further meetings with Colin Lloyd from Outdoor carpets, a summer installation the date was agreed.
Statement from Peter Hale Treasurer and Glenn Wigley Chairman Eaton Bray TC.
Steve, it is now 4 months since 2 of our 3 hardcourts were upgraded to your Matchplay 2 product & following the swift & efficient installation by Outdoor Carpets Ltd. the general response of our playing membership is very favourable.
The slight downside is that we no longer have a small advantage over visiting Clubs who disliked our old, hard, unforgiving surface, but that is vastly outweighed by the benefit to the knees & joints of all members, young & septuagenarians (like myself)
Our players adapted to the new surface with minimal disruption but recently we had a morning competition that unusually needed all 3 of our courts to be used simultaneously. I played on the one remaining hardcourt & was amazed at how unpleasant the backward step was.
Within minutes the tennis balls were dirty, the knees were aching & it truly was a “Paul of Tarsus” moment when I realised just what an improvement the Matchplay 2 surface gave us. We had taken the new surface for granted after such a short period.
Fortunately, Glenn Wigley, our Chair & chief instigator of the change to Matchplay 2, myself & our two opponents managed to transfer to the new surface for the final set. Immediately the balls “cleaned themselves” & the quality of septuagenarian play improved beyond recognition – a situation mirrored by the change from tarmac to Matchplay 2.
On behalf of Eaton Bray Tennis Club committee & members, thank you.
Charterhouse School is an independent day and boarding school in Godalming Surrey. Founded in 1611 which was among a group of the first English public schools.
As part of the ongoing development and investment by the school in sports facilities, Artificial Grass maintenance Cambridge was approached with a view to totally overhauling and upgrading an existing 3 bay caged cricket practice Bay Area.
Cricket plays a very important part in the school’s sports curriculum and a high-quality premium performance surface with excellent durability was high on the list of requirements.
Playrite’s Practice Play Junior Cricket Material more than met these requirements and was chosen for the project.
The material was installed over a 6mm Interplay Shockpad and a surround Material of Playrite Matchwinner Velour in Autumn green colour was chosen to give a striking 2 tone effect.
The installation was completed in Mid – February 2018 and both the contractor and school were delighted with the outcome and the new facility.
Their main requirement was hockey, but as the available space was limited the pitch also needed to facilitate netball, tennis and football training. They also needed a low maintenance surface with low sand content, which would offer high quality and performance.
After discussing their requirements and suggesting a range of options such as Tournament 18, a dedicated tufted surface accredited to the FIH, it was decided that Matchwinner would be the ideal surface – taking into account the fact that they needed a low maintenance pitch that could be used for a wide variety of sports including hockey. Matchwinner is a high-performance vertical loop multi-sports needlepunch surface that caters for all sports at the community level. Suitable for indoor or outdoor use, Matchwinner comes with the option to have inlaid lines permanently added in white, yellow or red and meets the standard EN15330 Part 2.
Matchpad underlay was also installed to put less stress on knee and ankle joints and to lower ball bounce.
Eleven years later and the school is still incredibly happy with their pitch and Playrite still use it as a great example of how to incorporate hockey and other sports into one pitch, as well as showing how the local community can benefit from better facilities.
The school has a long heritage of delivering first-class learning and excellent educational facilities.
In 2017 the school approached Charles Lawrence Surfaces in Newark Nottinghamshire, with a view to constructing a new multi-use games area, which could offer a range of sports options to the pupils, including Tennis, Netball, 5 aside football and hockey training, to be used all year round.
Charles Lawrence Surfaces subsequently approached Playrite to see if we could provide a surface that could tick off the boxes.
As well as the multi-sport application intended, low maintenance and durability were also key to the choice.
After careful consideration by the school and close liaison between Charles Lawrence and Playrite, it was decided that Playrite’s Matchplay 2 Surface more than met all of these requirements and was by far the most suitable surface for the multi-sport requirements.
Matchplay 2’s high level of durability, low sand infill and high-quality all-round sports performance were also key to the decision.
The new facility was completed in the early spring of 2018 and is now being enjoyed for a variety of sports by the school’s pupils.
A key part of education is sport, it keeps the children active and gets them involved in team-building activities. Sarah Carr, Ashbridge Primary Schools headteacher, recognised this and together with Mike Slattery of Bramley And Pate Architects, they decided the school would benefit from having a new Multi-Use sports facility.
Following meetings with Playrite, the school chose Matchplay 2 for the area as it is ideal for 5-A-Side Football, Hockey and Basketball which was just what the school were looking for.
The school were on a tight schedule with the start of a new term fast approaching, Ken Smith from Playrite worked closely with Matt Davidson of MJD Groundworks to ensure that the surface was delivered without delay and also that the installation was completed to a high standard yet in a good turnaround to ensure the school could show off its new surface on the reopening of school.
The school and architects definitely chose well with the Matchplay 2 surface, it is an easy maintenance sports surface requiring minimal sand infill. With regular routine care, the new Multi-Use area at Ashbridge Primary school is a sound investment in the development of their children and they will enjoy their new facility for years to come.
The Sports Club was established in 1882 and moved to the heart of the Dukes Wood estate in 1912 when the Tennis Club was formed. Now into their centenary years, they proudly boast a thriving and friendly Tennis Club with six all-weather adult courts.
Four of the six courts had already been upgraded but the final two were still undecided. That’s when Playrite were there to help. Steve Byrnes of Playrite, met with Mike Twinning and a decision was made that the final two courts would be upgraded using Playrite’s Clayrite MF.
ETC Sports installed the new Clayrite surface and the project was completed in September 2016. The club captain, Mike Twinning, gave his comments ‘The Clayrite artificial clay surface has proved very popular with our members. It performs well in all weathers, including frost, and in our view is the best artificial clay surface available in the UK. Playrite has been very responsive and proactive in the installation process and aftercare, working constructively alongside the lead contractor and project manager.
Playrite couldn’t be more thrilled with this feedback and it just shows how passionate we are about our products, customers and service.
The club welcomes players of all ages and standards to play tennis in the beautiful surroundings of Cirencester park.
In September of 2017 the club approached Playrite to discuss a proposed upgrade of a block of 4 existing hard courts to a synthetic clay surface with a slow pace rating, which was the preferred choice of members.
After relevant meetings and discussions and also visits by the club to Playrite reference sites to view similar installations, Playrite’s Clayrite Monofilament Tennis surface ( Clayrite MF), was chosen by the club as it conformed to all the clubs primary requirements, including being manufactured in the UK, pace rating, Performance criteria and ITF accreditation.
Fosse contracts Ltd ( Leicester), who are well known for their expertise in the Tennis Court industry were appointed as the chosen contractor.
Fosse Contracts have worked closely and successfully with Playrite on numerous similar Tennis schemes over a number of years.
The club were looking for a quick turn-around on the installation of the courts, prior to the winter months and both Playrite and Fosse Contracts pulled out all the stops to ensure the installation was completed on schedule in late October 2017.
The club are delighted with the new facility which will be enjoyed year round by members.
The initial response from the members on the new surface has been very positive, with excellent feedback on both performance and quality of the surface.
Designed to adapt to 21 st century teaching, the 58-acre site offers a full range of integrated learning environments which can cater for upto 14,000 students and 2,000 staff members whilst providing accommodation for up to 1000 students. Amongst the state-of-the-art facilities the site offers, is their full-sized FIFA/FA approved floodlit 3G pitch suitable for both football and rugby.
Outlined by the client from the outset, it was imperative that this pitch could not only be used for internal use, but also for external teams and the wider community for regular football and rugby matches. This made it imperative that the quality of the pitch matched the requirements needed for both sports, in terms of quality and performance.
Playrite were approached by Prestige Civils and Sports Ltd, who were awarded the construction contract for the sports pitches, to work closely together and find a solution that fulfilled the client’s specification. Using their knowledge of various league guidelines for both sports, the team at Playrite chose their Conqueror 60 MP 3G synthetic grass surface for this prestige project.
The Conqueror 60MP product is certified to World regulation 22 for Rugby and IMS / FIFA 1star equivalent for football, so it met all the required performance criteria levels outlined for the scheme.
Bradley Surfacing Systems Ltd, with whom Playrite have previously worked with on a number of successful projects, installed the Conqueror surface comprising over 7850 sq m 2 of material with inlaid lines for football and rugby.
Since the hugely impressive new complex was opened in 2018, the facilities within the sports campus continues to offer the highest standards to its students on a daily basis whilst also servicing the wider local community, with regular practice sessions and matches occurring throughout the sporting season.
The various designs of the park were voted for by nearly 400 children from the local schools, with the winning plan focusing on elements to help evolve the children’s fine motor skills. The project incorporated a bicycle circuit, zip line, game elements, climbing wall and rest area, all inspired by elements of the island of Ibiza.
When Malaga based contractors UNICESPED, were looking for the product of a suitable surface that reflected the colourful elements that were integral to the design, they turned to Playrite and there Matchwinner Velour 1300 product.
Matchwinner Velour is a sand dressed needlepunch surface that is easy to install with low infill rates, providing a durable and very hard-wearing surface. With no sand compaction issues, this surface is low maintenance with a high porosity rate, that is fast draining and ideal for all-weather use.
Available in 14 different colours, the Matchwinner Velour enables designs to be inset into the surface, which was ideal for the various spaces within the park to ensure the various slopes and walls reflected the bright and bold colours required within the design.
The surface was installed by Tecopsa with a base of gravel and sand and compacted by machines and covered over 1200 square metres of the park. Some of the areas were protected with a Polyethylene Elastic Shock pad to Use 1447. The overall project took 1 month to complete and was finished in July 2018 at a total cost of $14,706.49 for the surface. This equates to a cost of $1.19 per square foot.
The local community were delighted with the completed look of the park and the surfaces are now enjoyed on a daily basis.
In 2014 Sacred Heart secondary school was transformed into the university Academy of engineering (UAE) under the umbrella of the Southbank University. In 2018 project manager Jamie Waller and head of physical education Giles Smith investigated the upgrade their existing games area to an artificial grass surface.
Having discussed the project with other manufacturers, it was decided a tufted product would be the best possible option, the school contacted Steve Byrnes from Playrite, and a site meeting was arranged to discuss the options that UK manufacturer PlayRite and approved partner ETC Sports Surfaces Ltd could offer.
Playrite having the largest range of artificial sport surfaces in the UK were able to offer the tufted solution, but it was felt the Matchplay 2, needle punch surface would give the school more versatility, with less maintenance and better porosity.
ETC sports an approved partner with Playrite are SAPCA (Sports and Play Contractors Association) accredited sports pitch and tennis court contractors, were appointed as the main contractor, this included removing fencing, installation of a dividing net system, base remedial and porosity repairs, the installation of an in-situ rubber crumb shockpad and installation of Matchplay 2.
The Matchplay 2 has now been in operation for almost two years. This has given the University great versatility with inlaid lines for 3no. tennis courts, 3no. netball courts, hockey and 7-a-side pitch.
This project has proved to be a great, cost-effective solution to upgrading an existing, poorly draining, fretted macadam surface.
